Washington, 9 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - President Joe Biden said US soldiers will remain in Syria for the foreseeable future following the sudden overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad by Islamist rebels.

"After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country," Biden in remarks at the White House on Sunday.

"At long last, the Assad regime has fallen," Biden said. "This regime brutalized, tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians."

He called the fall of the regime "a fundamental act of justice."

Biden, who leaves office on January 20, said that the United States would not allow the Islamic State terrorist group, which still has a presence in Syria, to exploit the power vacuum to regain its influence in Syria.

There are around 900 US soldiers stationed in Syria tasked with combating the Islamic State.

Biden said that in the past few hours US forces carried out "precision airstrikes" on Islamic State targets in Syria.

"We will remain vigilant," he assured. This vigilance, he said, also applies to the rebel groups that had toppled al-Assad.

"Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses."

The US government will also support Syria's neighbouring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel should a threat emanate from Syria, Biden said, calling it "a moment of risk and uncertainty" for the Middle East.

Photo: MIA archive